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Colorado was very, very smart here...
Why would Cleveland not demand a physical?
Why would Cleveland not demand a physical?
2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
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Colorado was very, very smart here...
Why would Cleveland not demand a physical?
Why would Cleveland not demand a physical?
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from MLBTR
is contingent on a physical examination of Jimenez by Indians medical personnel.
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from MLBTR
is contingent on a physical examination of Jimenez by Indians medical personnel.
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They needed it from the jump... That velocity loss is alarming.
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They needed it from the jump... That velocity loss is alarming.
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The Braves refuse to include both Randall Delgado and Arodys Vizcaino in a deal for Bourn, according to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (on Twitter).
The Astros are crazy if they want both Delgado and Vizcaino for Michael Bourn let him stay in Houston.
The Astros are crazy if they want both Delgado and Vizcaino for Michael Bourn let him stay in Houston.
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The Braves refuse to include both Randall Delgado and Arodys Vizcaino in a deal for Bourn, according to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (on Twitter).
The Astros are crazy if they want both Delgado and Vizcaino for Michael Bourn let him stay in Houston.
The Astros are crazy if they want both Delgado and Vizcaino for Michael Bourn let him stay in Houston.
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Alex White's elbow or shoulder should tap out soon enough, but Drew Pomeranz? Indians gave up tooo much.
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Alex White's elbow or shoulder should tap out soon enough, but Drew Pomeranz? Indians gave up tooo much.
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Every AL Central team currently has a negative net run differential.
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Every AL Central team currently has a negative net run differential.
And I guarantee you the team that wins it will beat an AL East team
KLaw piece on Ubaldo.
KLaw piece on Ubaldo.
Spoiler [+]
The announced deal (pending a physical) for the Cleveland Indians to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez would constitute a very good return for the Colorado Rockies but is absolutely the wrong move for Cleveland given the team it has and the position of the franchise for the next several years.
The main problem for Cleveland here is that it is incorrectly evaluating its own team -- the Indians shouldn't be buying, and while I could forgive them for not selling, that would be the smarter move for a team still trying to rebuild. Since a fluky 30-15 start driven largely by a schedule with more cupcakes than a Sprinkles bake shop, Cleveland is 23-36 and has been outscored by 77 runs in that span -- that is, it has been outscored by over a run and a quarter per game. Superman isn't going to close that gap, and while there are things to like about Ubaldo Jimenez, Superman he ain't.
The other problem is that it's unclear what Ubaldo they'd be getting. Jimenez looked like one of the top three or four pitchers in the National League for the first three months of 2010, but he faltered in the second half and has not fully recovered this year. His fastball velocity is down to above-average when it was previously at or near the top of the scale; I saw him in a start in 2009 when he was 95-99, and saw him again at the end of last year when he was a full grade below that, and he's sitting in the 93-94 range.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Ubaldo Jimenez
#38 SP
Colorado Rockies
2011 STATS
GM21
W6
L9
BB51
K118
ERA4.46
More to the point, why on earth would the Rockies trade him? They're not the Los Angeles Dodgers, fighting bankruptcy while the putative owners bleed the franchise dry. They're not the Houston Astros, headed for a long fallow period before their next crack at relevance. They're a recent playoff team that gets its next-best starter (Jorge de la Rosa) back from Tommy John surgery at some point next year and with one of the half-dozen best players in the game in Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. And they had Jimenez signed to a ridiculously club-friendly contract for the next three years (counting the club option for 2014 that evaporates with the trade). They had every reason to keep him, and the fact that they traded him for a good-but-not-revolutionary package gives me even more pause. He'd help Cleveland this year, probably adding a win or two, but that still makes the Indians a team headed to the wrong side of .500.
The best Indians prospect in the deal is lefty Drew Pomeranz, the fifth overall pick in the (weak) 2010 rule 4 draft who would be the player to be named later (Aug. 15th, to be exact, since that's one year from the date he signed his first pro contract). Pomeranz has had no trouble so far in pro ball, including three starts in Double-A after a recent promotion.
He'll mostly sit 89-94 with an out-pitch curveball in the mid- to upper 70s, and showed real improvement with the changeup when he appeared at the Futures Game earlier this month, potentially resolving one of the concerns about him coming into the year (that he might not be effective enough against right-handed hitters). Cleveland also did a good job cleaning up his arm action in the back -- he used to separate high and show the ball to the center fielder -- although even the cleaned-up version is complicated enough that I couldn't project more than average command. But a big, durable-bodied lefty with three average or better pitches is a potential No. 2 starter.
Right-hander Alex White was also a first-rounder, going 15th overall in 2009, and even at the time Cleveland executives acknowledged there was a reasonable chance he'd end up in the 'pen if he couldn't find a usable breaking ball to go with the above-average fastball and above-average or better split. White pitched well in limited time in Double-A this year, was rushed to the majors, then suffered a finger injury (not good in a guy who relies on a split-finger fastball) from which he is just returning -- but the slider still isn't an average pitch. He has shown an ability to get groundballs, especially with the splitter, which makes up for the fact that he doesn't miss a ton of bats, and can cut himself off slightly which limits his command. I see him as a two-pitch late-inning/high-leverage reliever if the slider doesn't come, but I know several teams that rate him as a No. 3 starter or even a fringe No. 2 because they're willing to project the breaking ball.
Joe Gardner is an intriguing throw-in with an average-at-best fastball who works down in the zone and has consistently produced high groundball rates in pro ball; if his control ever improves to solid-average he'd have a chance to start in Colorado because he'd suppress home runs. Matt McBride is a 26-year-old organizational corner bat.
Cleveland was two outs away from falling to .500 on the year tonight and yet is acting like a serious contender that is in win-now rather than rebuilding mode. It makes no sense, and if Jimenez can't regain the form he showed before the midpoint of 2010, then the Indians have damaged the long-term state of the franchise by trading away the entire careers of two top pitching prospects to get him.
The main problem for Cleveland here is that it is incorrectly evaluating its own team -- the Indians shouldn't be buying, and while I could forgive them for not selling, that would be the smarter move for a team still trying to rebuild. Since a fluky 30-15 start driven largely by a schedule with more cupcakes than a Sprinkles bake shop, Cleveland is 23-36 and has been outscored by 77 runs in that span -- that is, it has been outscored by over a run and a quarter per game. Superman isn't going to close that gap, and while there are things to like about Ubaldo Jimenez, Superman he ain't.
The other problem is that it's unclear what Ubaldo they'd be getting. Jimenez looked like one of the top three or four pitchers in the National League for the first three months of 2010, but he faltered in the second half and has not fully recovered this year. His fastball velocity is down to above-average when it was previously at or near the top of the scale; I saw him in a start in 2009 when he was 95-99, and saw him again at the end of last year when he was a full grade below that, and he's sitting in the 93-94 range.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Ubaldo Jimenez
#38 SP
Colorado Rockies
2011 STATS
GM21
W6
L9
BB51
K118
ERA4.46
More to the point, why on earth would the Rockies trade him? They're not the Los Angeles Dodgers, fighting bankruptcy while the putative owners bleed the franchise dry. They're not the Houston Astros, headed for a long fallow period before their next crack at relevance. They're a recent playoff team that gets its next-best starter (Jorge de la Rosa) back from Tommy John surgery at some point next year and with one of the half-dozen best players in the game in Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. And they had Jimenez signed to a ridiculously club-friendly contract for the next three years (counting the club option for 2014 that evaporates with the trade). They had every reason to keep him, and the fact that they traded him for a good-but-not-revolutionary package gives me even more pause. He'd help Cleveland this year, probably adding a win or two, but that still makes the Indians a team headed to the wrong side of .500.
The best Indians prospect in the deal is lefty Drew Pomeranz, the fifth overall pick in the (weak) 2010 rule 4 draft who would be the player to be named later (Aug. 15th, to be exact, since that's one year from the date he signed his first pro contract). Pomeranz has had no trouble so far in pro ball, including three starts in Double-A after a recent promotion.
He'll mostly sit 89-94 with an out-pitch curveball in the mid- to upper 70s, and showed real improvement with the changeup when he appeared at the Futures Game earlier this month, potentially resolving one of the concerns about him coming into the year (that he might not be effective enough against right-handed hitters). Cleveland also did a good job cleaning up his arm action in the back -- he used to separate high and show the ball to the center fielder -- although even the cleaned-up version is complicated enough that I couldn't project more than average command. But a big, durable-bodied lefty with three average or better pitches is a potential No. 2 starter.
Right-hander Alex White was also a first-rounder, going 15th overall in 2009, and even at the time Cleveland executives acknowledged there was a reasonable chance he'd end up in the 'pen if he couldn't find a usable breaking ball to go with the above-average fastball and above-average or better split. White pitched well in limited time in Double-A this year, was rushed to the majors, then suffered a finger injury (not good in a guy who relies on a split-finger fastball) from which he is just returning -- but the slider still isn't an average pitch. He has shown an ability to get groundballs, especially with the splitter, which makes up for the fact that he doesn't miss a ton of bats, and can cut himself off slightly which limits his command. I see him as a two-pitch late-inning/high-leverage reliever if the slider doesn't come, but I know several teams that rate him as a No. 3 starter or even a fringe No. 2 because they're willing to project the breaking ball.
Joe Gardner is an intriguing throw-in with an average-at-best fastball who works down in the zone and has consistently produced high groundball rates in pro ball; if his control ever improves to solid-average he'd have a chance to start in Colorado because he'd suppress home runs. Matt McBride is a 26-year-old organizational corner bat.
Cleveland was two outs away from falling to .500 on the year tonight and yet is acting like a serious contender that is in win-now rather than rebuilding mode. It makes no sense, and if Jimenez can't regain the form he showed before the midpoint of 2010, then the Indians have damaged the long-term state of the franchise by trading away the entire careers of two top pitching prospects to get him.
And I guarantee you the team that wins it will beat an AL East team
KLaw piece on Ubaldo.
KLaw piece on Ubaldo.
Spoiler [+]
The announced deal (pending a physical) for the Cleveland Indians to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez would constitute a very good return for the Colorado Rockies but is absolutely the wrong move for Cleveland given the team it has and the position of the franchise for the next several years.
The main problem for Cleveland here is that it is incorrectly evaluating its own team -- the Indians shouldn't be buying, and while I could forgive them for not selling, that would be the smarter move for a team still trying to rebuild. Since a fluky 30-15 start driven largely by a schedule with more cupcakes than a Sprinkles bake shop, Cleveland is 23-36 and has been outscored by 77 runs in that span -- that is, it has been outscored by over a run and a quarter per game. Superman isn't going to close that gap, and while there are things to like about Ubaldo Jimenez, Superman he ain't.
The other problem is that it's unclear what Ubaldo they'd be getting. Jimenez looked like one of the top three or four pitchers in the National League for the first three months of 2010, but he faltered in the second half and has not fully recovered this year. His fastball velocity is down to above-average when it was previously at or near the top of the scale; I saw him in a start in 2009 when he was 95-99, and saw him again at the end of last year when he was a full grade below that, and he's sitting in the 93-94 range.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Ubaldo Jimenez
#38 SP
Colorado Rockies
2011 STATS
GM21
W6
L9
BB51
K118
ERA4.46
More to the point, why on earth would the Rockies trade him? They're not the Los Angeles Dodgers, fighting bankruptcy while the putative owners bleed the franchise dry. They're not the Houston Astros, headed for a long fallow period before their next crack at relevance. They're a recent playoff team that gets its next-best starter (Jorge de la Rosa) back from Tommy John surgery at some point next year and with one of the half-dozen best players in the game in Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. And they had Jimenez signed to a ridiculously club-friendly contract for the next three years (counting the club option for 2014 that evaporates with the trade). They had every reason to keep him, and the fact that they traded him for a good-but-not-revolutionary package gives me even more pause. He'd help Cleveland this year, probably adding a win or two, but that still makes the Indians a team headed to the wrong side of .500.
The best Indians prospect in the deal is lefty Drew Pomeranz, the fifth overall pick in the (weak) 2010 rule 4 draft who would be the player to be named later (Aug. 15th, to be exact, since that's one year from the date he signed his first pro contract). Pomeranz has had no trouble so far in pro ball, including three starts in Double-A after a recent promotion.
He'll mostly sit 89-94 with an out-pitch curveball in the mid- to upper 70s, and showed real improvement with the changeup when he appeared at the Futures Game earlier this month, potentially resolving one of the concerns about him coming into the year (that he might not be effective enough against right-handed hitters). Cleveland also did a good job cleaning up his arm action in the back -- he used to separate high and show the ball to the center fielder -- although even the cleaned-up version is complicated enough that I couldn't project more than average command. But a big, durable-bodied lefty with three average or better pitches is a potential No. 2 starter.
Right-hander Alex White was also a first-rounder, going 15th overall in 2009, and even at the time Cleveland executives acknowledged there was a reasonable chance he'd end up in the 'pen if he couldn't find a usable breaking ball to go with the above-average fastball and above-average or better split. White pitched well in limited time in Double-A this year, was rushed to the majors, then suffered a finger injury (not good in a guy who relies on a split-finger fastball) from which he is just returning -- but the slider still isn't an average pitch. He has shown an ability to get groundballs, especially with the splitter, which makes up for the fact that he doesn't miss a ton of bats, and can cut himself off slightly which limits his command. I see him as a two-pitch late-inning/high-leverage reliever if the slider doesn't come, but I know several teams that rate him as a No. 3 starter or even a fringe No. 2 because they're willing to project the breaking ball.
Joe Gardner is an intriguing throw-in with an average-at-best fastball who works down in the zone and has consistently produced high groundball rates in pro ball; if his control ever improves to solid-average he'd have a chance to start in Colorado because he'd suppress home runs. Matt McBride is a 26-year-old organizational corner bat.
Cleveland was two outs away from falling to .500 on the year tonight and yet is acting like a serious contender that is in win-now rather than rebuilding mode. It makes no sense, and if Jimenez can't regain the form he showed before the midpoint of 2010, then the Indians have damaged the long-term state of the franchise by trading away the entire careers of two top pitching prospects to get him.
The main problem for Cleveland here is that it is incorrectly evaluating its own team -- the Indians shouldn't be buying, and while I could forgive them for not selling, that would be the smarter move for a team still trying to rebuild. Since a fluky 30-15 start driven largely by a schedule with more cupcakes than a Sprinkles bake shop, Cleveland is 23-36 and has been outscored by 77 runs in that span -- that is, it has been outscored by over a run and a quarter per game. Superman isn't going to close that gap, and while there are things to like about Ubaldo Jimenez, Superman he ain't.
The other problem is that it's unclear what Ubaldo they'd be getting. Jimenez looked like one of the top three or four pitchers in the National League for the first three months of 2010, but he faltered in the second half and has not fully recovered this year. His fastball velocity is down to above-average when it was previously at or near the top of the scale; I saw him in a start in 2009 when he was 95-99, and saw him again at the end of last year when he was a full grade below that, and he's sitting in the 93-94 range.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Ubaldo Jimenez
#38 SP
Colorado Rockies
2011 STATS
GM21
W6
L9
BB51
K118
ERA4.46
More to the point, why on earth would the Rockies trade him? They're not the Los Angeles Dodgers, fighting bankruptcy while the putative owners bleed the franchise dry. They're not the Houston Astros, headed for a long fallow period before their next crack at relevance. They're a recent playoff team that gets its next-best starter (Jorge de la Rosa) back from Tommy John surgery at some point next year and with one of the half-dozen best players in the game in Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. And they had Jimenez signed to a ridiculously club-friendly contract for the next three years (counting the club option for 2014 that evaporates with the trade). They had every reason to keep him, and the fact that they traded him for a good-but-not-revolutionary package gives me even more pause. He'd help Cleveland this year, probably adding a win or two, but that still makes the Indians a team headed to the wrong side of .500.
The best Indians prospect in the deal is lefty Drew Pomeranz, the fifth overall pick in the (weak) 2010 rule 4 draft who would be the player to be named later (Aug. 15th, to be exact, since that's one year from the date he signed his first pro contract). Pomeranz has had no trouble so far in pro ball, including three starts in Double-A after a recent promotion.
He'll mostly sit 89-94 with an out-pitch curveball in the mid- to upper 70s, and showed real improvement with the changeup when he appeared at the Futures Game earlier this month, potentially resolving one of the concerns about him coming into the year (that he might not be effective enough against right-handed hitters). Cleveland also did a good job cleaning up his arm action in the back -- he used to separate high and show the ball to the center fielder -- although even the cleaned-up version is complicated enough that I couldn't project more than average command. But a big, durable-bodied lefty with three average or better pitches is a potential No. 2 starter.
Right-hander Alex White was also a first-rounder, going 15th overall in 2009, and even at the time Cleveland executives acknowledged there was a reasonable chance he'd end up in the 'pen if he couldn't find a usable breaking ball to go with the above-average fastball and above-average or better split. White pitched well in limited time in Double-A this year, was rushed to the majors, then suffered a finger injury (not good in a guy who relies on a split-finger fastball) from which he is just returning -- but the slider still isn't an average pitch. He has shown an ability to get groundballs, especially with the splitter, which makes up for the fact that he doesn't miss a ton of bats, and can cut himself off slightly which limits his command. I see him as a two-pitch late-inning/high-leverage reliever if the slider doesn't come, but I know several teams that rate him as a No. 3 starter or even a fringe No. 2 because they're willing to project the breaking ball.
Joe Gardner is an intriguing throw-in with an average-at-best fastball who works down in the zone and has consistently produced high groundball rates in pro ball; if his control ever improves to solid-average he'd have a chance to start in Colorado because he'd suppress home runs. Matt McBride is a 26-year-old organizational corner bat.
Cleveland was two outs away from falling to .500 on the year tonight and yet is acting like a serious contender that is in win-now rather than rebuilding mode. It makes no sense, and if Jimenez can't regain the form he showed before the midpoint of 2010, then the Indians have damaged the long-term state of the franchise by trading away the entire careers of two top pitching prospects to get him.
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Seems like Twitter opinions are all over the place on this thing...Originally Posted by Proshares
Dirk, I hate that you guys got Uehara
One scout supposedly said he wouldn't have traded Davis or Hunter STRAIGHT UP for Uehara...
I don't see how this is anything but a win.
Need one more arm and we're good to go.
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Seems like Twitter opinions are all over the place on this thing...Originally Posted by Proshares
Dirk, I hate that you guys got Uehara
One scout supposedly said he wouldn't have traded Davis or Hunter STRAIGHT UP for Uehara...
I don't see how this is anything but a win.
Need one more arm and we're good to go.
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Stop talking about it.
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Stop talking about it.
Spoiler [+]
The Indians played at San Francisco on June 26th, and as the Cleveland players began to stretch on the field for batting practice, Orlando Cabrera walked away from the pack and went to shake the hand of someone standing next to the cage -- San Francisco Manager Bruce Bochy.
This was a day after the first published report tying the Giants in a possible match with the infielder, and just a couple of days after Cabrera had been told by Manny Acta that he wouldn't be a regular player for the Indians anymore.
As Cabrera walked away from Bochy, he glanced over and saw that I had seen his greetings with the San Francisco manager. And Cabrera smiled and winked: He knew there was a fit for him with San Francisco.
Players say out loud that they ignore the trade rumors and they don't pay attention to it, but the truth is that they can't get away from it this time of year. If their names appear in a trade rumor, their family, friends and teammates will alert them.
Few players have taken the field under more unusual circumstances than Ubaldo Jimenez. After weeks of trade speculation, a deal between the Rockies and Indians was at the 1-yard-line on Saturday evening -- but not quite finished, contrary to many reports -- and so Jimenez took the mound, as the two teams finished their haggling over the last piece of the deal. And predictably, given the distractions at hand, Jimenez was awful.
The last few hours before the trade deadline today will be very anxious, especially for Ryan Ludwick, who is almost certainly going to be dealt to the Indians, for Denard Span -- the object of the Nationals' obsessive search for a center fielder -- and for the small army of right-handed relievers that is likely to be moved today: Grant Balfour (Arizona?), Heath Bell (Texas remains a possible fit), Rafael Betancourt, Kyle Farnsworth and many others.
General managers had been say for a few weeks that there had been a lot of trade discussions, and that while there hadn't been many deals, there would be a bunch coming down the line.
• The Indians were not scared off by the warning signs that hovered over Jimenez and scared off other teams -- the diminished velocity and performance, and the effort by Colorado to trade him in spite of his team-friendly contract.
The Yankees had asked the Rockies if they could give Jimenez a physical examination, if a trade agreement were reached, and were told no. The Red Sox had similar concerns.
But the Indians are taking the chance, in agreeing to trade Drew Pomeranz and others; once Cleveland agreed to put Pomeranz in the deal, one GM said, it was a worthwhile trade for the Rockies. Jimenez must still pass a physical later today, although it's not exactly clear how extensive the exam will be. One inning was a bad way to end it for Jimenez with the Rockies, writes Dave Krieger.
One scout tells Paul Hoynes that he can't believe the Rockies traded Jimenez.
From Stephen Oh of Accuscore: They report Cleveland's chance of making the postseason increased from 17 percent to 23 percent, and that the net improvement is 1.1 wins over the rest of the season. This makes sense given how many starts (about 12) Jimenez figures to make the rest of the season.
CLEVELAND INDIANS, REST OF SEASON
W L WIN% WIN DIV PLAYOFF
Current Forecast 29.7 29.3 50.34% 16.9% 16.9%
w/ Ubaldo Jimenez 30.8 28.2 52.20% 22.7% 22.7%
IMPACT 1.1 Wins 1.86% 5.8% 5.8%
The Yankees told the Rockies on Thursday night that they would not be involved in a Jimenez deal, because of concerns about the pitcher.
It appears that the Yankees won't be able to improve their rotation before the deadline, as Joel Sherman writes.
• The Cabrera deal was an acknowledgment that Miguel Tejada can't be the Giants' shortstop for the pennant drive, writes Henry Schulman. The Giants clearly value Cabrera's ability to play short over that of Tejada, writes Andrew Baggarly, because the offensive numbers for the two players are similar.
• The Tigers made a deal that didn't have star power, in adding Doug Fister and David Pauley, but it might turn out to be a difference-maker for Detroit. And Detroit didn't have to give up its best young arms, as Lynn Henning writes.
• The Rangers' bullpen has been among the worst in the American League, but now they add Koji Uehara, who has 117 strikeouts and 13 walks as a reliever, and they could add Bell, as well, and transform their relief corps from a weakness into a strength. Texas GM Jon Daniels says he'll be satisfied even if Uehara is the only addition.
• The trade deadline suspense is growing in Atlanta, because the Braves' opponents are getting stronger and Atlanta hasn't made a move yet; they've been working on a possible Michael Bourn deal.
• If it's about getting maximum value, then the best time for Houston to trade Bourn is right now.
• The Diamondbacks decided 10 days ago that they would not trade any assets for a short-term rental, given the gap between Arizona and San Francisco. But the tough week for Atlanta, the wildcard frontrunner, may have emboldened the Diamondbacks and nudged them into taking on Jason Marquis and his salary to boost the rotation -- the Braves lost Brian McCann to injury and didn't land either Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence to augment their offense. Arizona is taking its shot.
Marquis makes the Arizona staff stronger, Kirk Gibson tells Nick Piecoro.
• Hiroki Kuroda decided to not accept a trade.
• Ryan Theriot supports the Cardinals' acquisition of Rafael Furcal; Theriot's right shoulder has been balky and the Cardinals intend to make him the everyday secondbaseman. Furcal won't cost the Cardinals much at all.
• The Nationals also traded Jerry Hairston, to Milwaukee, while talking about the possible swap of Drew Storen, as Adam Kilgore writes. Davey Johnson addressed the possibility of a Storen trade.
• It figures to be a very busy day for the Padres, who are expected to deal Ludwick, Bell and Chad Qualls today.
• The Twins keep talking about adding a reliever, as Joe Christensen writes.
• The Orioles traded Uehara for two guys who could never fully establish themselves with the Rangers, Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
• Mike Aviles was traded to Boston; the Yankees had made a modest attempt to deal for Aviles.
• The Reds say they are not selling, but that doesn't mean they won't work out a trade of Ramon Hernandez, given what's in their farm system -- and the Giants are a perfect fit for Hernandez. Hernandez is trying to ignore the speculation.
• The Red Sox backed out of a Rich Harden trade, writes Scott Lauber.
• For the Mariners, the trade of Fister and David Pauley is just one step, writes Larry Stone.
• The Pirates traded for Derrek Lee.
• Was asked by a number of executives on Saturday: What do you think the Rays are going to do? So far, they've been quiet, as Marc Topkin writes.
• Domonic Brown is an untouchable, says Ruben Amaro.
• The White Sox are done dealing, says Kenny Williams.
• The Marlins continue to be in a holding pattern, with a full intention of holding on to Leo Nunez, Randy Choate, etc., because they feel like those players will help them in 2012, the first year of Florida's new park.
• The trade of Edwin Jackson may foreshadow some moves forthcoming for Tony La Russa and Ozzie Guillen.
• Pence made his debut for the Phillies.
• Houston GM Ed Wade doesn't get the benefit of the doubt, writes Richard Justice.
• Some Mets have taken the Beltran trade as a slap in the face.
And today will be better than yesterday.
This was a day after the first published report tying the Giants in a possible match with the infielder, and just a couple of days after Cabrera had been told by Manny Acta that he wouldn't be a regular player for the Indians anymore.
As Cabrera walked away from Bochy, he glanced over and saw that I had seen his greetings with the San Francisco manager. And Cabrera smiled and winked: He knew there was a fit for him with San Francisco.
Players say out loud that they ignore the trade rumors and they don't pay attention to it, but the truth is that they can't get away from it this time of year. If their names appear in a trade rumor, their family, friends and teammates will alert them.
Few players have taken the field under more unusual circumstances than Ubaldo Jimenez. After weeks of trade speculation, a deal between the Rockies and Indians was at the 1-yard-line on Saturday evening -- but not quite finished, contrary to many reports -- and so Jimenez took the mound, as the two teams finished their haggling over the last piece of the deal. And predictably, given the distractions at hand, Jimenez was awful.
The last few hours before the trade deadline today will be very anxious, especially for Ryan Ludwick, who is almost certainly going to be dealt to the Indians, for Denard Span -- the object of the Nationals' obsessive search for a center fielder -- and for the small army of right-handed relievers that is likely to be moved today: Grant Balfour (Arizona?), Heath Bell (Texas remains a possible fit), Rafael Betancourt, Kyle Farnsworth and many others.
General managers had been say for a few weeks that there had been a lot of trade discussions, and that while there hadn't been many deals, there would be a bunch coming down the line.
• The Indians were not scared off by the warning signs that hovered over Jimenez and scared off other teams -- the diminished velocity and performance, and the effort by Colorado to trade him in spite of his team-friendly contract.
The Yankees had asked the Rockies if they could give Jimenez a physical examination, if a trade agreement were reached, and were told no. The Red Sox had similar concerns.
But the Indians are taking the chance, in agreeing to trade Drew Pomeranz and others; once Cleveland agreed to put Pomeranz in the deal, one GM said, it was a worthwhile trade for the Rockies. Jimenez must still pass a physical later today, although it's not exactly clear how extensive the exam will be. One inning was a bad way to end it for Jimenez with the Rockies, writes Dave Krieger.
One scout tells Paul Hoynes that he can't believe the Rockies traded Jimenez.
From Stephen Oh of Accuscore: They report Cleveland's chance of making the postseason increased from 17 percent to 23 percent, and that the net improvement is 1.1 wins over the rest of the season. This makes sense given how many starts (about 12) Jimenez figures to make the rest of the season.
CLEVELAND INDIANS, REST OF SEASON
W L WIN% WIN DIV PLAYOFF
Current Forecast 29.7 29.3 50.34% 16.9% 16.9%
w/ Ubaldo Jimenez 30.8 28.2 52.20% 22.7% 22.7%
IMPACT 1.1 Wins 1.86% 5.8% 5.8%
The Yankees told the Rockies on Thursday night that they would not be involved in a Jimenez deal, because of concerns about the pitcher.
It appears that the Yankees won't be able to improve their rotation before the deadline, as Joel Sherman writes.
• The Cabrera deal was an acknowledgment that Miguel Tejada can't be the Giants' shortstop for the pennant drive, writes Henry Schulman. The Giants clearly value Cabrera's ability to play short over that of Tejada, writes Andrew Baggarly, because the offensive numbers for the two players are similar.
• The Tigers made a deal that didn't have star power, in adding Doug Fister and David Pauley, but it might turn out to be a difference-maker for Detroit. And Detroit didn't have to give up its best young arms, as Lynn Henning writes.
• The Rangers' bullpen has been among the worst in the American League, but now they add Koji Uehara, who has 117 strikeouts and 13 walks as a reliever, and they could add Bell, as well, and transform their relief corps from a weakness into a strength. Texas GM Jon Daniels says he'll be satisfied even if Uehara is the only addition.
• The trade deadline suspense is growing in Atlanta, because the Braves' opponents are getting stronger and Atlanta hasn't made a move yet; they've been working on a possible Michael Bourn deal.
• If it's about getting maximum value, then the best time for Houston to trade Bourn is right now.
• The Diamondbacks decided 10 days ago that they would not trade any assets for a short-term rental, given the gap between Arizona and San Francisco. But the tough week for Atlanta, the wildcard frontrunner, may have emboldened the Diamondbacks and nudged them into taking on Jason Marquis and his salary to boost the rotation -- the Braves lost Brian McCann to injury and didn't land either Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence to augment their offense. Arizona is taking its shot.
Marquis makes the Arizona staff stronger, Kirk Gibson tells Nick Piecoro.
• Hiroki Kuroda decided to not accept a trade.
• Ryan Theriot supports the Cardinals' acquisition of Rafael Furcal; Theriot's right shoulder has been balky and the Cardinals intend to make him the everyday secondbaseman. Furcal won't cost the Cardinals much at all.
• The Nationals also traded Jerry Hairston, to Milwaukee, while talking about the possible swap of Drew Storen, as Adam Kilgore writes. Davey Johnson addressed the possibility of a Storen trade.
• It figures to be a very busy day for the Padres, who are expected to deal Ludwick, Bell and Chad Qualls today.
• The Twins keep talking about adding a reliever, as Joe Christensen writes.
• The Orioles traded Uehara for two guys who could never fully establish themselves with the Rangers, Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
• Mike Aviles was traded to Boston; the Yankees had made a modest attempt to deal for Aviles.
• The Reds say they are not selling, but that doesn't mean they won't work out a trade of Ramon Hernandez, given what's in their farm system -- and the Giants are a perfect fit for Hernandez. Hernandez is trying to ignore the speculation.
• The Red Sox backed out of a Rich Harden trade, writes Scott Lauber.
• For the Mariners, the trade of Fister and David Pauley is just one step, writes Larry Stone.
• The Pirates traded for Derrek Lee.
• Was asked by a number of executives on Saturday: What do you think the Rays are going to do? So far, they've been quiet, as Marc Topkin writes.
• Domonic Brown is an untouchable, says Ruben Amaro.
• The White Sox are done dealing, says Kenny Williams.
• The Marlins continue to be in a holding pattern, with a full intention of holding on to Leo Nunez, Randy Choate, etc., because they feel like those players will help them in 2012, the first year of Florida's new park.
• The trade of Edwin Jackson may foreshadow some moves forthcoming for Tony La Russa and Ozzie Guillen.
• Pence made his debut for the Phillies.
• Houston GM Ed Wade doesn't get the benefit of the doubt, writes Richard Justice.
• Some Mets have taken the Beltran trade as a slap in the face.
And today will be better than yesterday.
Spoiler [+]
The Indians played at San Francisco on June 26th, and as the Cleveland players began to stretch on the field for batting practice, Orlando Cabrera walked away from the pack and went to shake the hand of someone standing next to the cage -- San Francisco Manager Bruce Bochy.
This was a day after the first published report tying the Giants in a possible match with the infielder, and just a couple of days after Cabrera had been told by Manny Acta that he wouldn't be a regular player for the Indians anymore.
As Cabrera walked away from Bochy, he glanced over and saw that I had seen his greetings with the San Francisco manager. And Cabrera smiled and winked: He knew there was a fit for him with San Francisco.
Players say out loud that they ignore the trade rumors and they don't pay attention to it, but the truth is that they can't get away from it this time of year. If their names appear in a trade rumor, their family, friends and teammates will alert them.
Few players have taken the field under more unusual circumstances than Ubaldo Jimenez. After weeks of trade speculation, a deal between the Rockies and Indians was at the 1-yard-line on Saturday evening -- but not quite finished, contrary to many reports -- and so Jimenez took the mound, as the two teams finished their haggling over the last piece of the deal. And predictably, given the distractions at hand, Jimenez was awful.
The last few hours before the trade deadline today will be very anxious, especially for Ryan Ludwick, who is almost certainly going to be dealt to the Indians, for Denard Span -- the object of the Nationals' obsessive search for a center fielder -- and for the small army of right-handed relievers that is likely to be moved today: Grant Balfour (Arizona?), Heath Bell (Texas remains a possible fit), Rafael Betancourt, Kyle Farnsworth and many others.
General managers had been say for a few weeks that there had been a lot of trade discussions, and that while there hadn't been many deals, there would be a bunch coming down the line.
• The Indians were not scared off by the warning signs that hovered over Jimenez and scared off other teams -- the diminished velocity and performance, and the effort by Colorado to trade him in spite of his team-friendly contract.
The Yankees had asked the Rockies if they could give Jimenez a physical examination, if a trade agreement were reached, and were told no. The Red Sox had similar concerns.
But the Indians are taking the chance, in agreeing to trade Drew Pomeranz and others; once Cleveland agreed to put Pomeranz in the deal, one GM said, it was a worthwhile trade for the Rockies. Jimenez must still pass a physical later today, although it's not exactly clear how extensive the exam will be. One inning was a bad way to end it for Jimenez with the Rockies, writes Dave Krieger.
One scout tells Paul Hoynes that he can't believe the Rockies traded Jimenez.
From Stephen Oh of Accuscore: They report Cleveland's chance of making the postseason increased from 17 percent to 23 percent, and that the net improvement is 1.1 wins over the rest of the season. This makes sense given how many starts (about 12) Jimenez figures to make the rest of the season.
CLEVELAND INDIANS, REST OF SEASON
W L WIN% WIN DIV PLAYOFF
Current Forecast 29.7 29.3 50.34% 16.9% 16.9%
w/ Ubaldo Jimenez 30.8 28.2 52.20% 22.7% 22.7%
IMPACT 1.1 Wins 1.86% 5.8% 5.8%
The Yankees told the Rockies on Thursday night that they would not be involved in a Jimenez deal, because of concerns about the pitcher.
It appears that the Yankees won't be able to improve their rotation before the deadline, as Joel Sherman writes.
• The Cabrera deal was an acknowledgment that Miguel Tejada can't be the Giants' shortstop for the pennant drive, writes Henry Schulman. The Giants clearly value Cabrera's ability to play short over that of Tejada, writes Andrew Baggarly, because the offensive numbers for the two players are similar.
• The Tigers made a deal that didn't have star power, in adding Doug Fister and David Pauley, but it might turn out to be a difference-maker for Detroit. And Detroit didn't have to give up its best young arms, as Lynn Henning writes.
• The Rangers' bullpen has been among the worst in the American League, but now they add Koji Uehara, who has 117 strikeouts and 13 walks as a reliever, and they could add Bell, as well, and transform their relief corps from a weakness into a strength. Texas GM Jon Daniels says he'll be satisfied even if Uehara is the only addition.
• The trade deadline suspense is growing in Atlanta, because the Braves' opponents are getting stronger and Atlanta hasn't made a move yet; they've been working on a possible Michael Bourn deal.
• If it's about getting maximum value, then the best time for Houston to trade Bourn is right now.
• The Diamondbacks decided 10 days ago that they would not trade any assets for a short-term rental, given the gap between Arizona and San Francisco. But the tough week for Atlanta, the wildcard frontrunner, may have emboldened the Diamondbacks and nudged them into taking on Jason Marquis and his salary to boost the rotation -- the Braves lost Brian McCann to injury and didn't land either Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence to augment their offense. Arizona is taking its shot.
Marquis makes the Arizona staff stronger, Kirk Gibson tells Nick Piecoro.
• Hiroki Kuroda decided to not accept a trade.
• Ryan Theriot supports the Cardinals' acquisition of Rafael Furcal; Theriot's right shoulder has been balky and the Cardinals intend to make him the everyday secondbaseman. Furcal won't cost the Cardinals much at all.
• The Nationals also traded Jerry Hairston, to Milwaukee, while talking about the possible swap of Drew Storen, as Adam Kilgore writes. Davey Johnson addressed the possibility of a Storen trade.
• It figures to be a very busy day for the Padres, who are expected to deal Ludwick, Bell and Chad Qualls today.
• The Twins keep talking about adding a reliever, as Joe Christensen writes.
• The Orioles traded Uehara for two guys who could never fully establish themselves with the Rangers, Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
• Mike Aviles was traded to Boston; the Yankees had made a modest attempt to deal for Aviles.
• The Reds say they are not selling, but that doesn't mean they won't work out a trade of Ramon Hernandez, given what's in their farm system -- and the Giants are a perfect fit for Hernandez. Hernandez is trying to ignore the speculation.
• The Red Sox backed out of a Rich Harden trade, writes Scott Lauber.
• For the Mariners, the trade of Fister and David Pauley is just one step, writes Larry Stone.
• The Pirates traded for Derrek Lee.
• Was asked by a number of executives on Saturday: What do you think the Rays are going to do? So far, they've been quiet, as Marc Topkin writes.
• Domonic Brown is an untouchable, says Ruben Amaro.
• The White Sox are done dealing, says Kenny Williams.
• The Marlins continue to be in a holding pattern, with a full intention of holding on to Leo Nunez, Randy Choate, etc., because they feel like those players will help them in 2012, the first year of Florida's new park.
• The trade of Edwin Jackson may foreshadow some moves forthcoming for Tony La Russa and Ozzie Guillen.
• Pence made his debut for the Phillies.
• Houston GM Ed Wade doesn't get the benefit of the doubt, writes Richard Justice.
• Some Mets have taken the Beltran trade as a slap in the face.
And today will be better than yesterday.
This was a day after the first published report tying the Giants in a possible match with the infielder, and just a couple of days after Cabrera had been told by Manny Acta that he wouldn't be a regular player for the Indians anymore.
As Cabrera walked away from Bochy, he glanced over and saw that I had seen his greetings with the San Francisco manager. And Cabrera smiled and winked: He knew there was a fit for him with San Francisco.
Players say out loud that they ignore the trade rumors and they don't pay attention to it, but the truth is that they can't get away from it this time of year. If their names appear in a trade rumor, their family, friends and teammates will alert them.
Few players have taken the field under more unusual circumstances than Ubaldo Jimenez. After weeks of trade speculation, a deal between the Rockies and Indians was at the 1-yard-line on Saturday evening -- but not quite finished, contrary to many reports -- and so Jimenez took the mound, as the two teams finished their haggling over the last piece of the deal. And predictably, given the distractions at hand, Jimenez was awful.
The last few hours before the trade deadline today will be very anxious, especially for Ryan Ludwick, who is almost certainly going to be dealt to the Indians, for Denard Span -- the object of the Nationals' obsessive search for a center fielder -- and for the small army of right-handed relievers that is likely to be moved today: Grant Balfour (Arizona?), Heath Bell (Texas remains a possible fit), Rafael Betancourt, Kyle Farnsworth and many others.
General managers had been say for a few weeks that there had been a lot of trade discussions, and that while there hadn't been many deals, there would be a bunch coming down the line.
• The Indians were not scared off by the warning signs that hovered over Jimenez and scared off other teams -- the diminished velocity and performance, and the effort by Colorado to trade him in spite of his team-friendly contract.
The Yankees had asked the Rockies if they could give Jimenez a physical examination, if a trade agreement were reached, and were told no. The Red Sox had similar concerns.
But the Indians are taking the chance, in agreeing to trade Drew Pomeranz and others; once Cleveland agreed to put Pomeranz in the deal, one GM said, it was a worthwhile trade for the Rockies. Jimenez must still pass a physical later today, although it's not exactly clear how extensive the exam will be. One inning was a bad way to end it for Jimenez with the Rockies, writes Dave Krieger.
One scout tells Paul Hoynes that he can't believe the Rockies traded Jimenez.
From Stephen Oh of Accuscore: They report Cleveland's chance of making the postseason increased from 17 percent to 23 percent, and that the net improvement is 1.1 wins over the rest of the season. This makes sense given how many starts (about 12) Jimenez figures to make the rest of the season.
CLEVELAND INDIANS, REST OF SEASON
W L WIN% WIN DIV PLAYOFF
Current Forecast 29.7 29.3 50.34% 16.9% 16.9%
w/ Ubaldo Jimenez 30.8 28.2 52.20% 22.7% 22.7%
IMPACT 1.1 Wins 1.86% 5.8% 5.8%
The Yankees told the Rockies on Thursday night that they would not be involved in a Jimenez deal, because of concerns about the pitcher.
It appears that the Yankees won't be able to improve their rotation before the deadline, as Joel Sherman writes.
• The Cabrera deal was an acknowledgment that Miguel Tejada can't be the Giants' shortstop for the pennant drive, writes Henry Schulman. The Giants clearly value Cabrera's ability to play short over that of Tejada, writes Andrew Baggarly, because the offensive numbers for the two players are similar.
• The Tigers made a deal that didn't have star power, in adding Doug Fister and David Pauley, but it might turn out to be a difference-maker for Detroit. And Detroit didn't have to give up its best young arms, as Lynn Henning writes.
• The Rangers' bullpen has been among the worst in the American League, but now they add Koji Uehara, who has 117 strikeouts and 13 walks as a reliever, and they could add Bell, as well, and transform their relief corps from a weakness into a strength. Texas GM Jon Daniels says he'll be satisfied even if Uehara is the only addition.
• The trade deadline suspense is growing in Atlanta, because the Braves' opponents are getting stronger and Atlanta hasn't made a move yet; they've been working on a possible Michael Bourn deal.
• If it's about getting maximum value, then the best time for Houston to trade Bourn is right now.
• The Diamondbacks decided 10 days ago that they would not trade any assets for a short-term rental, given the gap between Arizona and San Francisco. But the tough week for Atlanta, the wildcard frontrunner, may have emboldened the Diamondbacks and nudged them into taking on Jason Marquis and his salary to boost the rotation -- the Braves lost Brian McCann to injury and didn't land either Carlos Beltran or Hunter Pence to augment their offense. Arizona is taking its shot.
Marquis makes the Arizona staff stronger, Kirk Gibson tells Nick Piecoro.
• Hiroki Kuroda decided to not accept a trade.
• Ryan Theriot supports the Cardinals' acquisition of Rafael Furcal; Theriot's right shoulder has been balky and the Cardinals intend to make him the everyday secondbaseman. Furcal won't cost the Cardinals much at all.
• The Nationals also traded Jerry Hairston, to Milwaukee, while talking about the possible swap of Drew Storen, as Adam Kilgore writes. Davey Johnson addressed the possibility of a Storen trade.
• It figures to be a very busy day for the Padres, who are expected to deal Ludwick, Bell and Chad Qualls today.
• The Twins keep talking about adding a reliever, as Joe Christensen writes.
• The Orioles traded Uehara for two guys who could never fully establish themselves with the Rangers, Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter.
• Mike Aviles was traded to Boston; the Yankees had made a modest attempt to deal for Aviles.
• The Reds say they are not selling, but that doesn't mean they won't work out a trade of Ramon Hernandez, given what's in their farm system -- and the Giants are a perfect fit for Hernandez. Hernandez is trying to ignore the speculation.
• The Red Sox backed out of a Rich Harden trade, writes Scott Lauber.
• For the Mariners, the trade of Fister and David Pauley is just one step, writes Larry Stone.
• The Pirates traded for Derrek Lee.
• Was asked by a number of executives on Saturday: What do you think the Rays are going to do? So far, they've been quiet, as Marc Topkin writes.
• Domonic Brown is an untouchable, says Ruben Amaro.
• The White Sox are done dealing, says Kenny Williams.
• The Marlins continue to be in a holding pattern, with a full intention of holding on to Leo Nunez, Randy Choate, etc., because they feel like those players will help them in 2012, the first year of Florida's new park.
• The trade of Edwin Jackson may foreshadow some moves forthcoming for Tony La Russa and Ozzie Guillen.
• Pence made his debut for the Phillies.
• Houston GM Ed Wade doesn't get the benefit of the doubt, writes Richard Justice.
• Some Mets have taken the Beltran trade as a slap in the face.
And today will be better than yesterday.
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This is why I hate every team in the AL Central, they disgust me, the Blue Jays have like a rediculous record against the AL Central over the past 5 years, if we were in that stupid division we would have the playoffs soooo many times.Originally Posted by abovelegit1
Every AL Central team currently has a negative net run differential.
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This is why I hate every team in the AL Central, they disgust me, the Blue Jays have like a rediculous record against the AL Central over the past 5 years, if we were in that stupid division we would have the playoffs soooo many times.Originally Posted by abovelegit1
Every AL Central team currently has a negative net run differential.
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BREAKING: Astros trade OF Michael Bourn to Braves for OF Jordan Schafer and pitchers Juan Abreu, Paul Clemens and Brett Oberholtzer.
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